Boards.

Some people have the knack to say exams do not define people's careers. No, not when you live in the country where exams are treated like life changers. Because that's how it is.

Life changing.

Handwritten notes, printed books; all of them were kept open while Sanskaar read. A pen in the hand with which his hand played as he revised theories.

Eleven at night and Sanskaar had already revised the major theories and definitions for the economics exam the next day. He was quite confident with what he had prepared.

"You should really be sleeping instead of getting me coffee Dadi." Asha smiled. Her dear boy knew her so well that he could guess her actions even without looking directly.

"I can't help." Asha sat on the chair Sanskaar placed for her near him, "My studious grandson is working so hard and I could do this, at least this much."

"If you really want to do something for me, I really prefer your sleeping girlfriend." Sanskaar stressed. He didn't like seeing her awake because of him.

"I know." Asha agreed. Her little boy had been cautious about her diet and sleep timing. He wanted her in good health but it was the vice versa for her.

Sanskaar had an excellent academic performance. Yet, he kept on pushing himself on edges and somehow she couldn't complain too knowing the reason.

He required these marks to apply for scholarships to pursue further education. Times like these, Asha wished her husband was not dead. He could have managed everything for Sanskaar that she couldn't.

"How many left?"

"I still have one more exam, Accountancy. It's after four days." Just a few more days. Sanskaar wanted to get rid of this pressure already. It had been nerve wrecking.

The exams he gave earlier were quite satisfying to him. Except for a few questions but yeah, Sanskaar had assurance he could gain good marks even if they may be marked wrong.

"So I have one more day to get you coffee." Asha countered as she signed him to drink the coffee.

"Dadi!" Sanskaar scowled at her. "This is the last time you are pulling this act." He warned. A warning she always took light.

The old woman stood up and gave soft pats on his head, "That's what you told me last time too." He was ready to fight but a peak on his hair kept Sanskaar in the bay from burst.

"Sleep soon." He sighed. This woman and her ways to make him silent. Sanskaar shook his head, "You do too." On the note, Asha left.

Another sip and it made him feel more at ease. Sanskaar loved his grandmother's coffee, especially on night pullers he often takes on exam times. But she doesn't have to know that.

Guilty pleasures are meant to be kept away. Always.

~

"I got it wrong." Swara regretted asking a doubt after the exam. Rarely she made discussion regarding questions after exams. And she should have followed this, "End of the discussion."

Sanskaar chuckled. Yet, to agree he almost got it wrong. The question was quite tricky, most of the questions had been that way. A little more thinking to the tricky question and its simple answers.

"Please. I do not believe you Swara, especially in regards to exams." Aditi commented that Swara's jaw touched the ground.

"Hey! I never lied to you." She hasn't! Swara could literally swear on herself for this. Academics and she went hand in hand by luck despite her last minute preparations.

"Can these exams end already?" Jay whined. These stupid papers were becoming a hindrance to his practice sessions and he couldn't wait already to jump back to his routine.

"Just one more buddy." Sanskaar convinced Jay. Or more like, it was the assurance that kept him on run in the exhausting cycle of exams too.

"I have news! We may have farewell after a week from our last exam. I can't wait for it already." Arya seemed excited, too excited unlike his friends who hardly reacted to the news.

"Lower your delight boy. We still have one damned exam to write." Aditi remained and that soured Arya's excited mood already.

"You are such a threat to my peace." And the bickering kept others entertained. A sort of chaos to bring their day to normalcy as they walked out of the campus.

Farewell. A mark to end their days of being in school together. Also, another mark for their new beginnings towards making their own perspective careers.

But it was the former that made all of them sad, just not yet visible. They had an exam to take care of--- one more exam to end it all.

Of them.

Till then, they'd enjoy every moment. Every minute. To the fullest of all.

~

"The documents." Sharmistha forwarded a file to Aditya. They were in need of her signatures at places and he got it passed to her by a staff member, not by him.

"Thanks." Aditya mumbled as he checked the papers. Great! He could continue the proceedings soon, "You could have sent them to the office."

She didn't want to. After all, it brought her another chance to meet her son, speak with him even if it was on professional grounds, "I forgot."

Aditya offered no more words and excused himself. Sharmistha kept staring at his retreating figure. Hurt, longing and love swam through her eyes but as usual they were ignored.

Ignorance- she just tasted her own medicine for the grave mistake she committed. Sharmistha smiled. She would take it all, it was from her son anyways.

Swara and Shefali were munching on their evening snacks, unfortunately played a witness to the exchange of words. Sharmistha walked to them to bid bye.

"God knows when there's going to be an improvement." Shafali sighed heavily. The duo's mother- son had been away for years. A longing mother and an aching son and they never found the same page.

"Some people can never be on the same page even if they want. Maybe, we are one among those. I shall not blame him" Sharmistha had a sad smile.

As far as Swara remembered, Sharmistha and Aditya had been this way. Emotionless talks and only professional conversations were the only means they conversed.

Of course Sharmistha was quite a strict mom, but she had always smiled at her achievements and advised her on the shortcomings. Has Aditya ever seen these sides? Swara had no answers.

Her decisions might be wrong. She didn't want to play verdict for them, it was their issue. But Swara had a question-- a question she once asked herself before she gave into Aditya.

She found the answer but Swara didn't know if Aditya found his... It was still a question with no answer or maybe, she could get them.

With an excuse, She left her elders and walked out. Finding Aditya in the evening at the house was occasional. Yet, Swara hoped to find him.

Right on time she did, "Can I speak to you?" Aditya's hand over the car knob halted without giving pressure, "Important?" Swara shook her head otherwise.

Apart from a few file cases and an international web meeting at eight, he did not have major work back at the office, "What is it?" He left the knob and took a few steps ahead of her.

"Mm, In the Wine house?" Swara did not want to get caught by any of her family. They cannot know what she was up to at any cost.

Confused, yet, Aditya agreed and they walked to the wine house. To be honest, it was much of a surprise for him because Swara had never approached him for anything.

Okay! This was not as easy as she thought. Firstly, Swara was afraid of Aditya's reactions to this topic and the best part, she had no idea how to start the topic.

"Swara? Is everything okay?" Aditya couldn't help but ask. The way she kept contemplating herself puzzled him more.

"I-- I may be stepping my line for this. But it's about mom and you." Reactions. Swara expected him to say something. Oddly, he spoke nothing or rather he kept waiting for her to elaborate.

"Don't think mom deserves another chance?" Aditya's eyes darted. He didn't expect the question. No way he saw this one coming to him.

"I don't." Came a curt answer and Swara already being curious couldn't keep herself away from asking, "Why?"

"I was a child, a mere child when she abandoned me for herself. Her selfishness, Swara. I am not against her wanting to establish a career of her own. Never. But she turned a blind eye to me. No calls, no meet up and she vanished completely.

When everyone had their mothers to play around, feed them, help them dressed-- no one was on my side. Suddenly she showed up after years, telling me she missed me. How am I supposed to accept her? On what possibility should I believe she wouldn't leave me again? "

It was all in there. In his heart. Buried all the time and raw at certain times. Aditya had kept it all safe without a spill and if anyone who saw this side was only Pavithra.

"The guilt of already abandoning you once wouldn't let her go anywhere now. She repents for it. Mourns for the time that had slipped from her." Swara have him reasons.

"So that makes her worthy of my apology?"

He cannot give that. Not this easily when she left him in void. Not when he had been hurting and she never cared about him

"No-- I'd rather ask you to give her a chance. Another chance one deserves to get after understanding their wrong doing. Another chance of not repeating it again. The chance I gave you to reach out for me. Give that one to her."

Silence. It embraced them after Swara spilled off what she had in her mind in regards. Aditya was right in his stance, yes and Sharmistha wrong, agreed but these aches had to end.

Someday.

One day.

Chance-- Aditya failed to see the other side of perspective Swara just showed him. He asked her for a chance and she did too. Swara gave him one but what about him?

Can he let go of the anger, the hurt like Swara did?

"Let her take steps. To you. To your heart and you'll know what it exactly wants, The bitter past or the pleasant future."

Swara walked away but her words remained. It lingered for a long time and just like that he knew, what important he had to do next.

A chance.

~

"Calm down Swara."

"No I am done with this. Literally. Heads down I am not attending any of the sum from this chapter."

Sanskaar groaned. He spent almost forty minutes and she wouldn't be patient. No. She had to act stubborn at the ungodly hour of three in the night.

"Swara! This is just a formula. Memorize and you are good to go!" She already had her head down on the book, phone pressed to her ear.

"There's already so much in my brain Sunny boy." He knew it. Most of them were a known story to him. A lot of things changed in Gagodia's house and she kept him updated on it.

"Make space. Add this one too and delete it after the exam." Swara wanted to cry. These exams have got her to the edge of lunacy. But anyways, he called her stubborn and what was he?

"I am not a machine." A scream from the otherside made Sanskaar keep his phone a little away from his ear. He needs them. Undamaged.

"Okay. You know what? I'll memorize it." Swara suddenly made up her mind. God! She had to do it, "Give me a minute, I'm solving and telling you the answer now."

Just as that, Sanskaar heard noise of her pages being turned and clicking of the pen. She had started to work out. It brought a smile. Swara and giving up cannot be on the same lines. They never were.

"I think I got it? Wait--- oh yes! Yes!!! I got the answer." She exclaimed in joy. If not for him, she could have pulled her hair out for this stupid sum.

"I know you can do this." Sanskaar closed his text and dropped himself on the bed, tired. Ah! He was not good at waking up before giving even at exam time.

And there she was. Starting her preparation at ungodly hour and ending up sleep deprived, "Thanks Topper." He heard her. A lazy smile spread upon his lips.

"Sleep. Good night and see me a lot in your dreams." Swara couldn't wipe away the smile too as her eyes shifted between the pages. She still had four chapters to cover. Good lord!

"You pay a good amount of visits already there. Stop being greedy." Sanskaar's eyes had become very droopy but then he didn't want to stop talking to her.

"Wow! You never told me. Are they good dreams?" She was quite excited about that. Who would not when her favourite let you know about your 'often' visits to their dreams?

"Mostly. But some wild dreams, you want to know?" Sanskaar could picture her already in his mind. Darted eyes and crimson cheeks. Cute.

"Sleep. That would fix your defective machine right." Nevertheless, she made a counter back. The guts of him to tease her like that. Wild dreams he said. Stupid!

Suddenly she heard nothing from the other hand. Swara smiled, he should have dozed off already, "Good night Sunny boy. I like you more."

With that she disconnected the call. Back to business. Swara focused on the exam preparations.

Indeed, Sanskaar had dozed off into sleep with his phone still pressed to his ear. Her voice still lingering on him.

_____

A/N: 50.01k reads for this books ✨ Thanks peeps for giving it a try. See ya in the next chapter 👍🏻